19 Sept – Props to the blue tractor man

From Norway

Today I got to do what I wanted to do, do things I didn’t want to do, and do things I want to do again when Jamie arrives. I also got to see about 19% of all of Norway. It would’ve been 20%, however there were some scattered clouds to the South. The day started off normal enough… hotel breakfast, leave before 8am (when the parking meters start for the town), and find my way via the maps successfully.

My destination of the day was Gaustatoppen, Northwest of Tuddal (for those following on Google Earth). It was 1:15 minute drive through some of the same roads as last weekend, as well as pretty, country side roads. It was obvious I was at the right location as there were a couple dozen cars in the parking lot, along with anxious, decked-out hikers. It was impressive that every single person had solid hiking boots, pants, tops, and jackets. There were no posers here. After a stop in the outhouse, I was on my way up. The parking lot is already above treeline (~1150 meters = 3,450 ft), so it doesn’t seem that the toppen would be too far up. The first 10% of the hike was dirt with many rocks. It soon switched to complete rocks, no dirt. I was pushing it up the trail, no breaks, no waiting, so I passed a few parties. Everyone said “Hej” and weas friendly enough. Two hours later I reached the top. It had some utility tower (not apparently transmittal unless the antennas were covered), a hytta (hut serving vaffels and $4 hot chocolates), and plenty of places to sit. My first was the cement roof of the utility building. After snacking there, I realized there was more to go across a rocky ridge. After the snack, I continued another ½ hour along that nutty ridge. The smallest boulder was 10 ft in diameter. This was no normal trail. It was boulder-boulder climbing with an easy, but harmful way down on either side. I was glad to get to the top and glad to get back to the hytta. The views were spectacular in all directions. The Hardvanger National Park (where I tried to get last weekend) was clearly visible, along with the Buer glacier. The scattered clouds prevented me from seeing the ocean to the South, but all the high-country lakes were clear & shimmering. I spent a total of an hour at the top, sitting in each direction for a bit, taking it all in. At this point I noticed all the dogs. I counted only 3 medium to large sized dogs (german shepard, small mutt of a black lab, and a golden retriever). Every other dog was a small size… beagle, basset hound, mini poodles, even a chihuahua! Who brings these accessory dogs on 4 hour hikes? Norwegians do! I headed down the trail when my viewfinders were full and spend two hours descending to the car… 100s of them. I passed a ton of people on the way down, many in lesser gear than the morning hikers. Their cars filled the parking lot, and filled the roadside on both sides for a good ½ mile, not to mention a 80-passenger empty bus in the lot. Wow, popular destination!

In determining what to do next, I decided to check out a remote hotel sign I’d seen in the woods/pond section of the country road. The hotel sign was accompanied by a “Bakeri” sign, which was also particularly attractive to me. I turned onto the narrow dirt road, and soon enough had a some car trouble. The Norwegians are so incredibly friendly, and this proves it. A passing couple went to the hotel to get help. They returned to tell me the hotel would send someone down. A man (hotel employee) with a big blue tractor came to help. While that occurred, nine big strong Norwegian men (though one looked very German with the brown pants, green button down shirt, suspenders, and worn leather hat) came upon the situation and hung around for 15 minutes. The man with the blue tracker pulled through and fixed it. I meandered up the dirt road to the hotel. It was a large, antiquely, rustic hotel …(think a much simpler version of the Ehrman mansion from where Jamie & I got married). They had no rooms available for the night. So, I enjoyed a pastry, loaf of bread, and glass of wine at their outdoor picnic tables on their deck and knitted while enjoying the view overlooking the lake. There were some families from Oslo that I shared the picnic table with we chatted a few times. Everyone up there knew I was “that girl” as they had passed me on the dirt road at some point. So, thank you blue tractor man!

I hit the road again ready to find a hotel. I won’t go through the details, but I was looking for any fairly remote hotel to enjoy the peace, quiet, and scenery. I gave myself the 5-minute rule of turning around, passed the 5 minutes, saw a turnaround spot and passed it. Good thing I broke my own rule because within a kilometer I came upon a camping & cabin road sign. Now I’d been looking for the hotel equivalent, but figured to try out the cabin sign. I’d seen them numerous other times, just never explored the option. I pulled in the dirt driveway. On it’s side in the weeds was a sign that pointed “INFO” in the direction of a house, so I parked in the driveway and a lady met me at the front door. She had 7 cabins (all available) for the night for 300 kr ($50). She asked if I wanted running water and a toilet in my cabin (as opposed to shared I guess). I didn’t even answer the question, she just gave me keys to the one w/ the “extras”. It’s absolutely lovely! There’s a view of the fjord, or a 2 minute walk down to it, with canoes at my disposal. I just might have to bring Jamie hear for a night when he visits, before we leave the area. It’s a very quiet, well-furnished, cozy cabin so I sat on the porch and knitted. I slept on the mattress in my sleeping bag. I suspect that’s the deal with the cabin (vs. hotel) signs, you must bring your own linens. That sums up the day and evening!